Wireless telephones and other wireless devices have become almost the de facto standard for personal and business communications. This has increased the competition between wireless service providers to gain the largest possible market share. As the marketplace becomes saturated, the competition will become even tougher as the competitors fight to attract customers from other wireless service providers.
As part of the competition, it is necessary for each wireless service provider to stay abreast of technological innovations and offer their consumers the latest technology. However, not all consumers are prepared to switch their wireless devices as rapidly as technological innovations might dictate. The reasons for this are varied and may range from issues related to cost to an unwillingness to learn how to use a new device or satisfaction with their existing device.
However, certain technological innovations may require different antenna technologies in order to deliver service to the wireless customer. For example, although Wide Band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technologies typically operate on different frequencies, and they may require separate antennas, a wireless provider may have customers using both types of technologies. In many areas, simply leasing or buying new antenna space for the new technology may be economical. However, in many areas, particularly in urban areas, the cost of obtaining additional leases as well as zoning and other regulatory issues can make retaining old technologies while introducing new technologies cost prohibitive.
Thus, it is desirable to have an antenna capable of simultaneously radiating and receiving signals from both technologies (i.e., a multi-band antenna). One attempted solution is the Kathrein brand multi-band omni antenna which was developed for E911 Enhanced Observed Time Difference (EOTD) deployments to measure adjacent cell sites downlink messaging for determining a mobile location. However, the Kathrein brand antenna design has limited RF performance due to its unique antenna element design which limits gain to unity.